The provincial government announced this week it will keep funding 32 landscape horticulturist seats in the Burnaby school district’s community and continuing education program.
The apprenticeship training seats have been funded through the province’s Industry Training Authority since 2013, when the local continuing education program first added level 1 and 2 apprenticeship training for landscape horticulture.
The $36,000 announced Thursday will allow the full-time, six-week programs to run for another year.
When Burnaby continuing education supervising programmer Karen Flynn was first contacted for a comment for the government’s funding announcement press release, she thought her program was getting new funding but has since learned the money will support the same number of seats as last year.
Though the funding is not new or extra, Flynn said it makes the local trades programs accessible to students, who without it would likely have to pay double the $2,000 per-course fee they pay now.
"Most of the students entering our landscape horticulturist apprenticeship program are either just starting out in the workforce or have been working at minimum-wage jobs,” Flynn said in the government press release. “The funding provided by the ITA offers a singular opportunity for these students, who otherwise could not access a trades program to attain a higher level of employment."
